Liquid Wastes. The small amount of contaminated liquid waste produced during the project and laboratory operation was disposed of by mixing with the soil in the 55-gallon drums. All radioactive laboratory and eounting standard solutions were mixed with soil and shipped with the last few soil drums. Non-radioactive organic wastes which had been stripped by ion-exchange resins were taken to the Enewetak dump site at the south end of the island and burned under the direction of the island Fire Department. 4.6 PROJECT DISCUSSION The RADLAB support for the Enewetak Cleanup Project was unique because it was the first time that a complete radiological laboratory had been attempted for on-site support at a site as remote as Enewetak Atoll where supplies were not readily available from commercial suppliers. This facility had its disadvantages as well as benefits. The major problem was the rapid deterioration of some equipment exposed to the adverse and corrosive atmosphere encountered at Enewetak Atoll In the final months of the project, equipment failure was more frequent for items such as fume hoods, drying ovens, grinders, sampling material, plumbing, electrical connections, etc. Although the Atoll experienced several typhoon warnings during the project, it was not until January, 1979, that Typhoon Alice unleashed her destructive power on the Enewetak Atoll The major force of the storm was concentrated on Enewetak with little damage experienced by the RADLAB complex except for the IMP shed and the warehouse facilities. Due to the high salt content of seawater, a water softener was installed next to the chemistry trailer to pretreat the water prior to passing it through the deionization system. The backup power system, a 40kW diesel generator, was used on several occasions to provide uninterrupted power service to the counting trailer during times when on-island power was not available. Since most sampling missions were dependent on boat support, many man-hours were lost due to lack of timely adequate walkways occasions and dependable boat transportation. Boat support was often provided with less than attention to safety. Unsecured floating ramps, side-by-side docking and inadequate for embarking and disembarking were among the objectionable conditions. On several the RADLAB Manager felt obliged to abort or delay missions when in his judgment the safety conditions were unacceptable. Helicopter transport for several sampling missions emphasized the contrast in the effectiveness and time utilization. The military personnel assigned to the RADLAB, with few exceptions, carried out their tasks with professionalism and personal dedication. This support was instrumental in generating the analytical data which, along with field information, permitted the DOE/ERSP evaluation of the radiological condition of the individual islands. The instrument maintenance facility was vital to the radiological operations at Enewetak because of the isolation and adverse field conditions. This facility maintained all the instruments and counting equipment without time loss due to electronic or mechanicalfailures. A well planned and stocked warehouse and a current inventory of supplies and materials were essential to the success of this project. At no time during the project were the RADLAB operations delayed due to lack of this support. 136